The meeting opened at 7:05 p.m. with the following board members present: Ray Lauer, Ron Sansone, Pat Harting, Marilyn Meyer, Larry Kimmel and 21 lot owners.
With the minutes of the April meeting having been posted on the website and inserted in the newsletter, President Sansone asked for a motion to accept. Motion made by Ray Lauer seconded by Larry Kimmel.
Presidents Report:
President Sansone opened the meeting with information on the removal of the "volcano". He said that once the weather improved the pipe would be installed to repair the ditch on the north side of the lake thus facilitating the removal of the dirt from the volcano to the property on the second tier.
Treasurers Report
Marilyn Meyer thanked all those who had sent in their assessments and reported that she had received about a third of them.
Cash inflow:
Special Assessment 2006-2007 911.48
Cash Outflow:
Loan Payment 4,489.55
Checking Account Balance 58,896.91
Money Market Account 2,003.01
CD 12,000
Total Cash on Hand 72,899.92
Loan Balance as of 3-31-06 ($19.01 per day) 119,832.67
Special Assessments Outstanding - 2004-05 50.00
Special Assessments Outstanding - 2005-06 903.53
Regular Assessments Outstanding - 2004-05 300.00
Regular Assessments Outstanding - 2005-06 3,542.09
President Sansone asked for approval of the Treasurers Report, motion made by Larry Kimmel, seconded by Ray Lauer, motion passed.
Ms. K. Hopfer questioned the purchase of the culvert pipe and said that she did not find anything in the March minutes where the board had approved this. Larry Kimmel and Marilyn Meyer both stated that this had been discussed at the March meeting. Larry Kimmel stated that his motion was inclusive of repairing the pipe and repairing the bridal path and continuing with removal of the volcano to the second tier property. The motion to purchase the pipe however was under the Maintenance Section and Ms. Hopfer was informed on where to find this in the minutes.
Treasurer Meyer submitted the following bills for payment:
Signature Control
third aluminum gate 308.15
Dave Wallen - snow/salt
Feb 8 & 18, March 21 507.00
Atty. Tesreau
quarterly bill 734.00
Motion made by Ray Lauer, seconded by Larry Kimmel to pay the above bills.
Marilyn reported that the money market account was at $8,800 and she would be transferring $7,000 against the loan.
President Sansone said that a lease/purchase agreement had been worked out for the bobcat. He said that for the past 4 months we have not been charged for its use. The cost of purchase would be $38,600 with tax. A discussion followed on the pros and cons of leasing/purchaser versus simply renting when needed. One of the biggest concerns regarding renting is the time factor in getting a piece of equipment to the lake in an emergency. President Sansone said that the bobcat has been used extensively for projects at the lake since it was obtained a little over 4 months ago. An approximate cost of renting would be $250 per day and $700 for a week. As we have been using the equipment for almost 4 months, we would have spent approximately $11,000. President Sansone said they agreed not to charge for our use to date if we decide to lease/purchase. The cost will be $1,100 per month for three years. The equipment has a three year warranty at 4.9% interest, with the provision that we can make extra payments or pay the loan off entirely at any time. No contract has yet been received. The Finance Committee was contacted to determine if there was money in the budget for this expense. A discussion then followed on the qualifications required for operating the bobcat and if the bobcat could be "rented" by lake residents for personal use. An opinion was expressed from the floor that the equipment only be used for lake projects not private projects. It was explained that the bobcat will only be operated by qualified maintenance personnel due to insurance requirements. Kevin Seelbach is qualified to run it and he will be in charge of the bobcat. Lake residents can contact Kevin directly for private work and charges will be discussed at that time. Any monies collected will be viewed as a contribution to pay off the loan. President Sansone then reiterated the state of repair of the lake machinery and said that it was essential to have dependable equipment during the winter. The bobcat has already proven to be a very useful piece of equipment for loading sand and moving stone as witness with the building of the new boat ramp. It will not hurt the bobcat to be left out in the weather. Consideration however is being given to putting a roof over where the salt is now stored so that the equipment can be locked up. Larry Kimmel made the point that despite negative phone calling, the present board has accomplished much with the help of many volunteers. Mr. Kimmel also stated that it is time for people to stand up and be accountable to their community and get things done so that we can take advantage of the equipment.
Ms. Meyer reiterated that future use of the bobcat could become a money maker for the lake. As an example of the cost saving benefit of the bobcat, Larry Kimmel said that the estimated cost of the boat ramp was $50,000 but by doing the work ourselves, with volunteers, it was approximately $20,000 and was accomplished in 6 days. A saving of $30,000. Mr. Kimmel further stated that with the proven cost savings of ownership he does not understand what the concern is over the bobcat. He also pointed out that we own a salt spreader and a truck which have a lot of downtime however if we did not supply the service with the truck and salt spreader there would be a hue and cry. He also stated that all of our equipment will sit idle at times but when it is needed, it is needed badly. In closing, Larry said that we need the equipment. President Sansone asked for a motion to purchase the bobcat with the stipulation that if we did not use it enough we could revert to leasing. Marilynn made the motion, seconded by Larry Kimmel, motion passed unanimously.
The board is considering the sale of all the old equipment that is not being used. Matt Holloran is looking into this. The total cost of the culvert pipe will be $9,000. A maintenance schedule will be set up for ditch cleaning by qualified operators. It was still hoped that individual home owners would clean the ditches in front of their property.
Finance Committee
Janet Hirsch said that the Finance committee had helped the treasurer with the preparation of the spreadsheets and she passed out copies of the year to date financial report. There were no questions.
Security Director
Ray Lauer's security report is attached. Security Report. Gate report (submitted but not read aloud) is attached. Gate Report
Building Director
Larry Kimmel reported on the following building permit requests:
1. Lalk - D16 On site sewage system. All paperwork is in order.
2. Schryver - B17, 18, 19 Resurface and reconstruct cement walkway added small section. Drawings are in order.
3. Wilner - H37, 38, 39 New house construction. Jefferson County permits have not been issued yet. Our approval will be contingent upon these being obtained with the next week so that the homeowner does not have to wait for another board meeting. Jefferson County is being particularly slow at the moment. The drawings are all in order.
Ray Lauer made the motion to grant the three building permits, seconded by Marilyn Meyer, motion granted.
Ray Lauer said that he had been questioned on the board's approval of a parking space for Mr. Hejnel. Larry said that he had also spoken with Mr. Dauernheim who felt that this was a by-law violation. The board will again look at the byelaws concerning trailers being used as a "living" space.
Maintenance Director
Matt Holloran was not present. President Sansone said that Kevin Seelbach will take over from Matt as Maintenance Director. President Sansone again stated that as soon as the weather permitted the culvert pipe would be installed and the sand would be moved from the volcano. Marilyn reported on the bids received by Matt for patching the roads. These patches are the ones that you can see on the roads:
Arch Asphalt $8,400
Vern & Jones $14,845
Dura Seal $11,200
Matt said that all three of the companies are insured. Matt recommended Arch Asphalt; He was very comfortable with the quality of their work.
President Sansone asked for board approval so that the patching could begin immediately.
Ray Lauer made the motion, seconded by Larry Kimmel, motion carried.
Matt had also been trying to secure bids on moving the volcano. Only one bid had been submitted by Weilert Contracting for $26,300 and this was for only moving the walls of the volcano, not for clearing the property all the way down. This was not an acceptable bid.
Mat also wanted to state that there were 5 or 6 areas around the lake where the road is caving and must be repaired. He said the hillside needed to be excavated and about 5 tons of rock would be needed for the repair. This would require the use of an excavator. The cost is estimated at approximately $8,000. This will be researched further.
Bids for cutting the grass from the 4 way stop to the gate have been sought. One bid was received which was considered to be unacceptable. Marilyn asked for volunteers to help cut the grass, no one in the audience volunteered. Cutting foliage at the back of the dam needs to be done every two to three years. This was done last year at a cost of $1,200.
Sewer Board
Larry Kimmel, the chairman of the Sewer Committee reported that due to a timing conflict, the meeting time had been changed to the third Tuesday of the month at the community house. President Sansone requested a key to the building for the Sewer Board meetings. A key was refused by the president of the LTIA who stated that someone would let them in. Apparently nobody on the LTPOA board has a key to the building. President Sansone said that the building was community property but this was immediately disputed. A copy of the lease to the community house was then requested and this was refused. A formal request for a copy of the lease was then made by Larry Kimmel to the president of the LTIA for the purposes of clarification of responsibilities for the building. LTIA President Hopfer said that she would give Larry a copy of the lease when she found it. A discussion then ensured on who owns/paid for/is responsible for the building. The board was then informed that they were allowed to use the building for the purpose of having their election in the building. A request was made by the LTIA president, Kathy Hopfer, to be included on the agenda for the LTPOA board meetings. President Sansone said that if she would like to be on the agenda, he would be happy so to do. Ms. Hopfer was then asked if she had anything to report at the present time, no report was given. ]
Web Site
Janet Hirsch reported that 360 copies of the newsletter was sent out. If anyone has not received a copy please let her know and she will send you a copy. The deadline for the next newsletter is June 20.
Old Business
A request was made for the board to not lose sight of the leak at the dam. Larry Kimmel responded by saying that it was definitely on the priority list.
New Business
Ray Lauer said that because of his obligations to the Special Olympics he was resigning his position on the board.
Gary Ryan brought up the problem of a big bass private fishing tournament. Any fish over 13" should be put back in the lake. He was concerned that the homeowner was not present. Mr. Ryan also wanted it put in the newsletter that any fish over 13" had to be returned to the lake. The homeowner in question was Dierzbicki. A letter will be sent to from the board informing Mr. Dierzbicki that he needs to be present when he invites guests to fish and also that any fish over 13" has to be put back in the lake and private fishing tournaments are not permitted at the lake. Larry Kimmel said that he was very concerned with violations of this kind and he felt that the boat patrol should be involved. He wanted to know who he could report these violations to because they breaking the lake rules, they are poaching and stealing our fish. Also discussed were the people who do not own lake lots and simply come in to the lake early. Approaching them is generally met with opposition. The only suggestion on dealing with this problem is calling the sheriffs department but they are generally too busy to respond.
The number of positions open at the next election was asked…4 .
The cleaning the ditches was again mentioned.
A fallen tree on the Schatzman property was mentioned.
There being no other business President Sansone requested a motion to adjourn. Motion made by Larry Kimmel seconded by Marilyn Meyer. Motion passed. The meeting closed at 8:10.pm.
Respectfully submitted
Pat Harting
Secretary